Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy

Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy


Starring:Brett Adam
Director: Judith Helfand, Daniel B. Gold
Studio: New Video Group
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Part family comedy and part horrifying investigative reportage, Blue Vinyl can make one simultaneously laugh and shiver with fear in the same, deceptively low-key moments. Documentary filmmaker Judith Helfand, upset that her parents are re-siding their house with blue vinyl, sets out (with co-director Daniel B. Gold) to discover how vinyl is made and why, according to some scientists, it is the most hazardous of synthetic materials. Along the way, she meets industry representatives who tell her the key chemical ingredient in vinyl, chloride, is no more toxic than table salt. She also travels to Venice, Italy, to meet with families of vinyl factory workers dead or dying from chemical exposure, and she visits an intrepid, Louisiana attorney who has sued American vinyl manufacturers on behalf of severely injured former employees. The tale is grim, yet the often on-screen Helfand's approach is folksy and calm--less so when her skeptical parents reject, in several funny scenes, even empirical data about a product they find so convenient. --Tom Keogh
Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Too slow and insipid - oft seen story
  • Informative & funny!
  • Great documentary
  • Bravo!
  • funny and thought provoking
 Blue Vinyl: The World's First Toxic Comedy
Starring: Brett Adam
Director: Judith Helfand , and Daniel B. Gold
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006212H2
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Amazon.com

Part family comedy and part horrifying investigative reportage, Blue Vinyl can make one simultaneously laugh and shiver with fear in the same, deceptively low-key moments. Documentary filmmaker Judith Helfand, upset that her parents are re-siding their house with blue vinyl, sets out (with co-director Daniel B. Gold) to discover how vinyl is made and why, according to some scientists, it is the most hazardous of synthetic materials. Along the way, she meets industry representatives who tell her the key chemical ingredient in vinyl, chloride, is no more toxic than table salt. She also travels to Venice, Italy, to meet with families of vinyl factory workers dead or dying from chemical exposure, and she visits an intrepid, Louisiana attorney who has sued American vinyl manufacturers on behalf of severely injured former employees. The tale is grim, yet the often on-screen Helfand's approach is folksy and calm--less so when her skeptical parents reject, in several funny scenes, even empirical data about a product they find so convenient. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Too slow and insipid - oft seen story.......2007-05-24

The documentary talks about big corporation and pollution issues around vinyl - but the narrative is too slow and seems too familiar, with many of us having seen the similar issues addressed in other documentaries.

5 out of 5 stars Informative & funny!.......2006-10-29


Good flick. Easy to understand. Even kids can watch it.

I loan this to my architectural clients before they make decisions.
It often prevents them from making unhealthy/environmentally detrimental choices.

It's entertaining & funny also - always a good tool for getting people interested.

5 out of 5 stars Great documentary.......2006-01-19

In this movie, Judith Helfand searches for the truth behind the vinyl industry.

Questioning her parents decision to put blue vinyl siding on their house, she sets out to find the truth about vinyl: what are the hazards, are there side-effects, are there dangers in the production and disposal of vinyl?

The result is entertaining, informative, and disturbing. I knew, from my work in the environmental field, that exposure to vinyl chloride is an extremely underrated hazard. Research has shown for years (and Helfand makes a strong case for this in her movie) that vinyl chloride is a carcinogen, and that the production & disposal of vinyl is a serious environmental and health risk.

But one new area of concern, which was not addressed by the film, is that regular (so-called "inert") vinyl, found in PVC pipes, vinyl siding, shower curtains, car dashboards, etc., emits small doses of toxic chemicals, which also pose serious concerns.

The film walks you through her process of learning about the industry, talking to victims and various experts, going to trade shows, and her many discussions with her (very patient) parents on this subject.

Fun. Informative. Thought-provoking. What else can you ask for in a movie? I applaud the filmmaker - we need more movies like this one.

5 out of 5 stars Bravo!.......2006-01-09

This gal is the kind of diplomatic crusader who uses persuasion to get her way, to make a change for the better in the world. And these kinds of crusaders are just as determined as the other kind of crusader: the more radical, confrontational kind. Often, diplomatic crusader types like this gal are more effective, in fact, because they don't make people mad, they just make people see they are wrong, but do so with velvet gloves. I dug this movie. The filming is professional, the writing is interesting, and this girl has a wonderfully memorable narration voice (it is hard to describe: it is half sultry, half goofy!). She had some traumatic things happen to her which made her natural-built crusader in her (she is an obvious ENFJ on the Meiers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, same as my wife!) want to set things straight, for the better of all.
In this case, the trauma is cancer, her cancer, and many others, all caused by the dangers encountered in the making of vinyl. Yep, vinyl. Just plain old vinyl. I never dreamed it was so harmful, but it is. This film informed me. I now hate the stuff, and will go out of my way not to use it again.
I say to this movie, I say to this gal: Bravo!

5 out of 5 stars funny and thought provoking.......2004-11-14

We were able to see it screened at our local theater with the movie producer giving comments. It is one of those movies that will change your lifestyle and how you think. Funny and thought provoking, anyone involved with building, from architects to engineers should see this!

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